Little Bit of Life

Finished Knit: Valentine Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, these turned out so cute. They are all so tiny and adorable and they're so quick to knit. Watching them come to life on my needles was so fun. They will be going on a customer's little holiday themed tree, and I can't wait to see a picture of them!

Pattern: Round ones based on the 7 Colorwork Christmas Ornaments

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in assorted Valentine's colors - 34 grams / 157 yards total

Needles: US 1/2.25mm Harmony wood DPNs

Knitline: January 17th - January 23rd

YTD Mileage: .83 miles

Happy February Everyone!
Meg

Finished Knit: Green Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

I love this color. It's so Spring-y and bright. I think socks was a perfect fit for the colorway. You can see them in action over at Millie's Mats - Kim is modeling them beautifully!

Pattern: Just a pair of lovely ankle socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in "Springtime Tonal" - 45 grams / 208 yards

Needles: US 2/2.75mm Harmony wood DPNS

Knitline: January 13th - January 17th

YTD Mileage: .74 miles

Happy Knitting,

Meg

The Monday Update

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:40:00 +0000

They aren't up yet. I wait (un)patiently for the return of the violas.

Since apparently I only update once a week now.

How about a baby update? We had an appointment this morning and all is fine - blood pressure is fine, I'm fine, baby's heart beat is perfect, everything is fine. Which makes me so incredibly happy. Even though #3 went perfectly in every way, I still get nervous since our first time into parenthood was so scary.

The doctor said that as of tomorrow (at which point I will be 35 weeks) if baby decides to come then they will just let me go and he should be fine. Obviously, they want me to get to at least 38 weeks, but if he were to come tomorrow he should be just fine and probably without the need for NICU or any help. Which also made me happy because, again, I get nervous.

Baby blankets are washed, I am starting to pull out clothes (oh gosh I forgot how tiny and adorable they are), and I will probably be setting up the bassinet soon even though I keep telling myself I still have time. It claws at my heart to put it up. I am pre-registered and pre co-payed with the hospital so we are pretty much ready to go.

We had such a nice day yesterday, complete with a new water heater that is appropriately sized for our household (yay for showers longer than 5 minutes!), and 60 pounds of ground beef.

Yes.

60.

It was on sale and I had money set aside from knitting that I had been holding onto to see what we needed it for and I haven't bought beef in so long because it's so stinking expensive so... Well, wouldn't you have bought 60 pounds too? One package became hamburgers for dinner and a mess of meatballs for the future, and the rest went into freezer bags in one pound measurements.

I wish I had taken a picture of our dining room table after we were done packing it in bags. It was a beautiful (albeit odd) site. Ben said that based on a 1200 pound steer, we just bought 5% of a cow, which made me laugh. And now my freezers are absolutely jam packed full of meat (because I bought on-sale chicken breasts two weeks ago), and meals I have been prepping, that we really cannot buy anything else that requires freezing until we eat some of this stuff up. It makes my little heart happy.

For knitting I am working on a pair of socks for myself and

A new design. This color is no where near what it is in real life. The colorway is called "Port", so imagine more burgundy-red than purply-magenta. Even though at first I didn't like the color of the socks, the color changes are starting to grow on me now and I think they will turn out nicely.

I want to make a baby sweater but am having a hard time finding one that I like. So either I will pick one, or design one. Not sure which yet.

I have a few finished projects to show you now that I know the recipients have received them. But with my recent track record, you might not see them until Monday!

And now I must go, because this post is way longer than I meant it to be. If you made it this far, thank you!

Today is Monday and that means laundry with the addition of banana muffin baking (oh they smell so good), Downton Abby watching, and of course - knitting!!

Have a wonderful week,
Meg

Drizzly Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Last year's rain picture, but it looks the same outside today.

Ah, what a beautiful, wonderful, grey, wet morning. I'm finally seeing some rain!

How was your weekend? Ours was very nice and productive.

It rained a bit Friday night and early Saturday morning, but by the time it was light enough to appreciate it, the rain had stopped and the clouds went away. I was so disappointed. But today looks like it will be a better day for rain.

Thank you all so much for the meal suggestions! You've reminded me of quite a few I used to make, and given me some new ideas as well. Between those suggestions and some cookbooks I got at the library I think I will get out of my slump and be nicely prepped for baby.

I had a baking binge on Saturday that produce 2 loaves of toast bread, two big batches of rolls (one for the freezer), 2 loaves of french bread, a double batch of pizza dough that became pizza for dinner and calzones for the freezer, and a triple batch of pancakes (which disappeared by Sunday morning. So much for lasting all week.) My kitchen is covered in bread products and it's wonderful.

And today I think I will make some sweet thing. Cookies, or brownies or something.

Sunday was a lazy day for me. I think I wore myself out on Saturday. But Ben took advantage of the sunny weather and mowed the lawn and cleaned flower beds. Everything looks so nice now, and we are dreaming of the plants to come. I am so excited to be cooking from my backyard again. Too bad I still have to wait quite a long time for that.

When I wasn't baking, I spent the weekend working on some Valentine's ornaments and I have half of one left. They are so stinkin' cute. Once I'm done with these I think I will take a knitting break (gasp) to get some reading done (my hands are starting to hurt a bit), and then it's time for baby things! Seeing as how I don't have very long left and I can't bring him home naked. ;)

Mmmm, it's started raining nicely now. Time for laundry and then sitting in my rocking chair with a big cup of tea and enjoying this weather while it's here.

Have a great Monday!
Meg

We're Alive!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:06:00 +0000

For the most part.

Man, this one knocked us on our butts. We're still all coughy and germy and runny, but on the mend. In fact, the kids must be feeling better because they are all wrestling on the floor behind me right now.

I am so thankful that Ben was not sick while we were. He had it first, but by the time we got it he was pretty much over it and he's been taking very good care of us by fixing and/or getting dinner, cleaning up, and being my drug runner (aka he went to Rite Aid and got the pregnancy-approved drugs that I called the nurse about in a moment of "I'm going to die" desperation. I usually abhor taking medication of any sort, especially while pregnant, but I was very desperate.)

Life has been pretty boring around here since we've been out of commission. I started a pair of socks on Monday, but illness apparently affects my ability to count and figure out gauge (and speed) and by the time Thursday got here I realized that it really was just too small and more knitting was not going to fix it so just rip it out and start over for heaven's sake.

Which I did. And now that one is done, and the second one is cast on and moving along nicely.

Yesterday was grocery shopping day and I picked up ingredients for quite a few different recipes I will be trying in the next two weeks. I'm so excited to have new things to cook. Hopefully I will have good things to share for What's Cooking!

After a few weeks of balmy, warm, spring like weather we are finally getting cold! In fact, we might even get rain next weekend! We haven't had rain since November, and even then it wasn't a lot. We take full responsibility for that - we got a new roof, therefore it doesn't rain. I told Ben I'm tempted to just stick a hose up there just to test it out. But it has been cloudy off and on for three days now and it's just wonderful.

I must be starting to nest because I am making lists of things that need to be done before baby gets here (you know, besides make ridiculous amounts of bread). Only seven weeks left! Baby things need to be washed, bassinet needs to be set up, diapers and things need to be bought, and I am hoping to get a few meals made up to put in the freezer. Does anyone have some good freezer meals or resources that you'd suggest (that do not involved Cream of Sodium-Overload Soup)?

Happy Monday,
Meg

Finished Knit: Babylove in Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000

First finished knit of the year! I'll make this short and sweet because we are all sick and I feel like crawling in a hole and dieing.

This blanket turned out lovely. For the last one (the yellow one) I used a cotton blend. This time I used a Superwash merino wool and nylon blend (machine washable for mama's sanity). This yarn bloomed beautifully after a good wash. It was so soft it made me want to find a baby right then to wrap it in. I just love this little pattern.

Pattern: Babylove Blanket

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sport in "Wave Heather" - 8 balls / 400 grams / 1096 yards

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm Susan Bates circulars

Knitline: January 1st - January 10th

YTD Mileage: .62 miles. First project and already over half way to a mile!

Now it's time to find some very hot tea.

Happy Friday everyone!
Meg

Doings

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Currently blooming

Ah, what a lovely spring day!

Hmm?

What's that you say?

It's still January? Not even the middle of January yet? Oh. Well, someone might want to tell the weather that.

We've had wonderfully warm weather for the past 2 weeks and while it has been nice to sit outside and sun bathe... I'm not looking forward to the summer this is probably going to bring. Although it should mean a better year for the garden.

How have you all been? I feel I've been so boring lately. I have nothing interesting or saucy to write about.

Umm... We had to have a plumber come out and fix our shower! We had a lovely continuous leak from the handle (not the shower head) which was a little worrisome and when Ben turned the shower off the other night and it started not just leaking but spewing... Well I finally broke down and called someone. It's now fixed and a bonus is the handle is so much easier to turn now!

Oh, that's not exciting? Sorry. Told you I've been boring.

The baby blanket is nearly done and I'm so over this project. Don't get me wrong, I love babies, and baby knitting and I have enjoyed knitting this blanket. But it's a large project, and all I've had over the past few weeks is large projects and I'm so very ready to start the few small, little instant-gratification projects that I have lined up. (Well, you know, as instant as 4 or 5 days can be.)

I picked up a mess of books at the library today, most of them being recipe books since I am in such a pathetic menu slump. Hopefully I can get at least a few new meals into our rotation.

I am starting to do the "I need to prep for baby" planning. 32 weeks today! Almost there!

For some reason I am completely terrified that we will run out of bread (of all things) in the first week or two while I'm doing nothing but feeding this new creature. And apparently I can't even comprehend the thought of buying store bread. The horrors! (It's really hard to go back after having homemade almost exclusively for the last 4 years.) So my plan is to make an extra loaf each time I make bread until March and stick it in the freezer. Why I don't seem to be concerned about any other food item, I don't know. I guess they can just eat peanut butter sandwiches for a week. ;) Why I also seem to ignore the fact that my husband is a completely capable adult and is always willing and able to jump in and take care of the kids and grocery shop when I'm down and out... I don't know that either. We'll blame it on hormones.

I am garden planning.

There, I said it. Admission is the first step, right? Planting season really doesn't start until at least April around here but the seed companies have been sending me their beautiful catalogs and I have started my list of things to plant this year. I am very, very excited.

I think I need to start a quilt.

We'll blame this on the hormones too.

Happy Tuesday everyone!
Meg

Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Babylove in blue

It's the first Wednesday of the new year! I don't really have a lot to talk about, but I felt like posting something.

How was everyone's weekend? We have a very nice two day weekend, filled with some grocery shopping, movie watching, brisket smoking and puttering around. Monday I scrubbed my house while Ben reorganized the garage and I feel lots better now with everything all clean.

I just barely made it to midnight. We were watching Bourne Identity and I had to make sure I was sitting all the way up. At one point I snuggled into Ben and almost went lights out. I'm so boring these days haha.

I have a new favorite thing. I have been hearing about this tea from a few podcasts I listen to and finally found it at Vons over Christmas weekend. It is Good Earth Original Sweet & Spicy Decaf (wow, that's a mouthful!) and it's quite delicious. They are right about the spicy part. I've been enjoying it with a splash of cream and a bit of sugar. It's just as good cold as it is hot. Although I'm realizing that my very favorite and go to tea is Earl Grey. But this is good if I'm in an frisky mood.

In case y'all were wondering - I did finish the shawl before 2012 hit! I cast it off around 7:30pm, but I did cheat a little. More on that in the finished post.

On Sunday I started the blue baby blanket in the first picture. It's whipping along quite nicely. I love having a list of orders - it's nice when someone else chooses what I knit instead of me trying to come up with something (like 5 billion Emilies....)

Happy Wednesday,
Meg

2012 Goals & Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Ah, I love the start of a new year, don't you? So many possibilities! And so much time to get things done.

Let's jump right in shall we?

This year is going to be a bit different than past resolution lists. While I have a few actual "To Dos", I feel like this year is going to be more of a theme.

I want this year to be a year of exploring, learning and creating. I want to learn new things this year - knitting techniques, more canning/preserving, business principles, etc.

I have a list of books I'd like to read this year regarding all those topics.

I have a ton of designs in my head I'd like to try out - not just for knitting!

I want to let myself go and see what comes about.

So I think this year my biggest resolution will be:

1. Learn & Create!

And then in addition to that

2. Have another small creature. This should be done in about two months. ;)

3. Work on organization! I'm already a fairly organized (read: ever-so-slightly anal) person. But with a new one coming and giving up our office in the next year, things will need to be even more organized than they are already. So, I will be working on ways to get that done. Ok so it mainly pertains to my voluptuous stash of yarn...

4. Get out of my cooking slump. I have been making the same stupid, boring things over. And over. And over again for months. I need to try some new recipes and find some exciting things. I like casseroles and crock pot recipes for their ease and ability to feed 3 hungry boys and a hungry man, especially with a new babe in tow. If y'all have any suggestions, that would be appreciated.

5. Knit 10 miles. One of these years I will do it! I. WILL. DO. IT.

6. Make this sweater. I have been drooling over it for a year now. And with yarn gift cards for Christmas I think it might be a possibility this year!

Looks like a good list to me! I thought about adding gardening stuff, but since that all kind of depends on the weather and elements that are not of my control I'll leave that out and hope for the best.

So, what are your goals/resolutions/plans/hopes for the new year?

Happy New Year!
Meg

It's The Final Countdown!!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Ok, this picture's from the 4th - but it's still fireworks!

*crazy guitar music*

As the end of the year fast approaches (just a few hours left!), and I take a break from my furious shawl knitting extravaganza (half way through last main clue!) and I prep for starting orders in the next year (a baby blanket first! then socks! then valentine's ornaments!), let's round up the last of my knits from the year that I haven't documented.

This is just a collection of ones that don't have pictures, or are repeats of other designs, or I just plain don't want to do a separate post for each. Hopefully I can add my shawl to the mileage total by the end of the night, but for now we have:

Top Down Pi Hat with a Pinecone lace motif

Knit Picks Essential in "Carnation" - 15 grams / 69 yards

Secret Project that I can't tell you about for various reasons (curious? :D)

Knit Picks Palette in "White" - 80 grams / 370 yards

2 Long Santa Hats that I never did get pictures of

Dawn Sayelle in "Red" and Red Heart Soft Yarn in "White" - 224 grams / 475 yards total

A chunky ribbed cowl

Lion Brand Homespun in "Antique" - 185 grams / 202 yards

A plain black ribbed beanie

Knit Picks Stroll in "Black" - 38 grams / 171 yards

A long elf hat (same as the santa hats, but green) for my brother's Christmas present

Red Heart Soft yarn in "White" and "Dark Leaf" - 112 grams / 205 yards

And this beautiful, deliciously soft scarf for a customer that I almost can't let go of:

Pointed Garter Scarf

Knit Picks Swish in "Foliage Tonal" (that colorway I love so desperately) - 197 grams / 433 yards

That brings my YTD total to...

*drumroll*

*more drumroll*

8.15 miles! Yay! I broke 8!

And now, back to the knit-a-thon!

Happy, Happy, Happy New Year everyone! Please be safe and responsible and may you all have a wonderful night!

Meg

Finished Knit: Ornaments - Batch 2

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:42:00 +0000

This rounds up the Christmas ornaments for the year. The second batch consisted of 18 ornaments.

That makes 38 ornaments total! They are so addicting. Had I not had other orders to finish before Christmas, I would probably still be knitting ornaments! I think my favorite of the designs is the traveling ribbon. It just seems especially Christmasy to me.

Pattern: 7 Colorwork Christmas Ornaments

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in assorted colors - 112 grams / 518 yards total

Needles: US 2/2.27mm Harmony wood DPNs

Knitline: November 23rd - December 8th

YTD Mileage: 7.06 miles. Oh ho ho! Perhaps I will make 8?

Happy Knitting,
Meg

Finished Knits: Pointed Garter Scarves

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I'm putting these into one post just to consolidate as I try to wrap up the last Finished Knit posts of the year... And so I don't drive y'all completely crazy with blog reader spam. ;)

I have found that scarves are a great way to use up fluffy/bulky yarn that doesn't really work for anything else. These are really warm and squishy.

Pattern: Pointed Garter Scarf

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun in "Antique" - 256 grams / 279 yards

TLC Amore in "Light Thyme" - 169 grams / 277 yards

Needles: US 10.5/6.5mm & US 9/5.5mm, respectively

Knitline: October 26th - November 3rd (Red)

November 2nd - November 15th (Green)

YTD Mileage: These two combined put me at 6.77 miles.

Happy Knitting,

Meg

P.S. I am frantically knitting away on the purple shawl to get it done by Saturday night and start the new year off right. I have one more body clue and the border clue left. Wish me luck!

Finished Knit: Summer Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:55:00 +0000

Here's another one for you today! Since it's done, and I'm trying to get everything posted before the end of the year.

This is the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl for 2011 (that's a mouthful!). It only took me way too long to finish it. I need to break down and buy a dress form for better pictures.

It turned out so pretty and I really like the size too. This is now up in the shop, for anyone who would like to give it a new home.

Pattern: Summer Rain by Rennee Leverington

Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in "Spring Green" - 115 grams / 1012 yards

Needles: US 5/3.75mm Susan Bates circulars

Knitline: May 3rd - December 27th (think I can take longer next time? Sheesh.)

YTD Mileage: 6.45 miles! Oooooh, if I can finish this other shawl and add up the rest of my finished stuff, I might get close to 9!

Happy Knitting,
Meg

Finished Knit: Husband Beanie

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Bad picture brought to you by sneaky/rushed photo taking right before he got home.

Yesterday was Ben's birthday! Along with his other present and a giant dinner (I'm still stuffed) of Meatloaf, mashed taters, gravy, green beans, bread and cake, I decided to make him a beanie.

While I was making others for Christmas orders, he had been saying things like "Do you think you could do such & such?" and "Would it possible to...?" I have been soaking in these questions and complaints about his current store bought beanie, filed them away, and then started this one last week.

It's very, very hard to get a birthday present done when the recipient is home for 3 days! I finished it at 5:30 last night... He got home at 6:30. ;) It was a very scary race against time. But it's done! And he seems to like it!

I doubled it over for the first 3 inches since one of his complaints was that his ears get cold. I did this by starting out with a provisional cast on, working in pattern for 3 inches, then doing a purl turning row and knitting another 3 inches (which happened to include the brown stripes). Once either side of the purl row were the same length I attached them together by knitting one stitch from the provisional edge and one stitch from the needle together all the way around. It's basically hemming the fabric, but while you're knitting as opposed to having to sew it down later. And by doing it that way it leaves the fabric stretchy.

Pattern: Just a basic beanie with stripes

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in "Black" and "Buckskin" - 61 grams / 282 yards total

Needles: US 2/2.75mm Harmony wood DPNs

Knitline: December 21st - December 28th

YTD Mileage: 5.88 miles

The shawl is blocked and just needs ends woven in and pictures taken. and then I have a plethora of other finished things to get posted and add to my mileage. We'll see how I did. Maybe close to 7 miles?

Happy Knitting,
Meg

After Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Christmas is over! Three days past now, actually.

I think I've finally recovered.

We had a very nice weekend. It all started Friday night when we took our kiddos to the local zoo's Christmas Lights special. They string the whole place up with displays and little scenes made out of Christmas lights, complete with music and snow machines. It was great! Everyone's favorite part was the train ride. Our youngest is obsessed with trains right now and he was practically out of his skin waiting for our turn to get on. It was such a nice night.

Saturday evening was spent with Ben's family, and then Sunday was split between my mom, grandparents and siblings coming for brunch, then my dad and his wife (and my siblings again) coming for dinner in the evening.

It was very laid back and relaxing. We had normal, easy breakfast foods and for dinner I had ordered some sandwich/deli trays from Vons and then just made clam chowder. I am so glad I ordered those trays, it made the night so much easier.

I have apparently eaten a LOT of food over the last few holidays. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and found out I've gained 7 pounds in the last 5 weeks and was told "that's not bad... but not great..." and to just ask myself when I'm eating if I really need it. LOL! What can I say? I'm hungry!

As easy and relaxing as it was though, I was exhausted by about 7 on Sunday night. Ben had Monday off to play his new game and relax. I got 3 whole days with my husband and I am so very happy and thankful for it. To me, Christmas was not as important as that time with my man.

I think we all came away happily pleased but not overwhelmed with our presents. Last year was nice, but seemed like so much stuff. This year was not too bad. The kids got a decent amount of presents, but I don't feel like it was too much. They have been playing with trains and legos just about non-stop since they got them.

I received gift certificates for yarn which I am so excited about and Ben got me a giant dutch oven and a food mill, as well as a subscription to Countryside magazine and a book I have been wanting for months. The dutch oven was perfect for making the clam chowder (plenty of room!) and I can not wait to use my food mill next canning season. He says he feels bad getting me stuff that I will be using to make him food. I laugh and tell him it's what I've been wanting! And I like to make him food!

I started and finished a scarf order over the weekend, and I just bound off the green shawl last night! It is a weight off my chest. I will try to get it blocked today.

I am going to try to finish the purple shawl by the end of New Year's Eve, but we'll see. I have 2 whole clues plus the border clues to go. Even though they are short clues, it's at the point now that there are so many stitches that it will take awhile. Luckily though, it is in the round and I don't have to purl the back side, since purling seems to take me forever.

I have yarn coming for some other orders and another baby blanket will be started on the 1st. I'm on a roll!

How was your Christmas? Did you get anything special or exciting?

Happy Wednesday,
Meg

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:38:00 +0000

While everyone is posting pictures of trees and presents and beautiful, white, snowy scenes....

I'm giving you zombies.

Did you expect anything different? :)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your weekends are filled with wonderful people, delicious food, and bliss all around.

Love and Hugs,
Meg

The Weeks Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:18:00 +0000

This morning was spent balling yarn for orders (oh that orange yarn feels heavenly), reorganizing the 2011 business binder and prepping the one for 2012 and getting ready for year end stuffs (like inventory!).

I always get a sort of glee when I do office work. It's the super-nerd in me. Spreadsheets get me high.

This afternoon has been spent working on the green shawl, a last minute (secret) gift, and reading.

Tomorrow will be spent wrapping presents and prepping for Christmas!

Oh I'm so excited for this weekend!

I noticed on my calendar that Saturday night is a New Moon. That means that the night will be completely pitch black (aside from ambient lighting). In my heart I feel it is a wonderful reminder to go out and view the stars in all their shining glory - Look for the brightest one, and remember what the meaning of this coming Sunday really is while you gather with the people who are so dear to you.

Merry Christmas!
Meg

Wednesday Random

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:46:00 +0000

- Tomorrow is the first day of Winter and the weather is making a good effort at proving so. The roofs around us have been frosty every morning this week.

- I am knitting. Constantly. I have two shawls that I want to finish before the end of the year because I don't like having unfinished things carried over (just starts the year off wrong, you know?). One will probably be finished (the green one). One will probably not (the purple one). Since I have orders and a gift left to knit.

- My laundry is still not folded. Washed, but not folded.

- I still need to wrap Ben's gifts.

- The boys presents, however, are finished.

- We found a picture last night of me at 28 weeks with Duder. I am 29 weeks with this one and I am SO MUCH BIGGER.

I am a giant cow. Moo.

- A step on the scale shows I've already gained 20 pounds with this kid, and I still have three (weight gaining) months left to go.

- I'm a little depressed now.

- It could be the See's candy....

- At least by butt is still small.

- Today is the 21st. That means there are 3 days left until the Christmas is officially here.

- I might be a little panicky, even though I have no reason to be.

- Ben might have to work on Christmas Eve. At least a half day.

- I'm pretty pissed about this.

- I had a dream that Ben's co-workers liked my cinnamon rolls so much (he took a batch with him this morning) that they were buying me yarn as a thank you.

- I think this would be the best thank you ever, ever, ever.

- Knitters are the nicest people. I have received permission from three separate designers to sell the finished shawls that I have made from their patterns. I will be adding them into the shop when I can find time to take decent pictures. Probably after the first of the year. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas!
Meg

Finished Knits: Christmas Ornaments - Batch 1

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:50:00 +0000

I know you've seen these pictures a billion times already, but I have to do the finished post!

I wound up making 20 of these little things before the craft show. And that was just batch one! Batch two will be coming up later.

These little things are so addicting to make. The only reason I stopped recently is to work on orders for other things. :)

Pattern: 7 Colorwork Christmas Ornaments by Meg Hollar

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in assorted colors - 122 grams / 564 yards total

Needles: US 2 / 2.75 mm Harmony wood DPNs

Knitline: October 25th - November 20th

YTD Mileage: This puts me up to 5.72 miles!

Happy Knitting,
Meg

Finished Knit: Sports Logo Baby Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:30:00 +0000

I had an epic blogger fail.

I finished the baby blanket on Saturday, washed it, blocked it (as much as you can block cotton), and got it all wrapped and ready for Ben to take to work today.

And then remembered this morning that I totally forgot to take pictures. Some days my prettiness amazes me.

So I decided to show you how much yarn I had left instead. It was very close. In fact, I had to join a bit of a remaining bobbin just to finish the last 2 inches of bind off.

I was sweating bullets to the whole time, because I didn't have time to order more yarn and get it in time to finish for Christmas.

I might or might not have left out a row (or 5 *cough*) of stockinette, just to make sure I could make it...

The beginning

The start of the intarsia section.

Pattern: No pattern, just made up but based off the size for the Babylove Blanket

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Sport in "Planetarium" and "White" - 364 grams / 991 yards total

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm Susan Bates aluminum circs

Knitline: December 8th - December 17th

YTD Mileage: Woohoo, this put me to 5.39 miles! I need to finish those shawls if I have any hope of getting near 10....

Now it's time to finish family presents!

Happy Knitting,
Meg

Things I am Thankful For Today

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

That it's cloudy and cold today! We don't get snow here, so cloudy is the closest we get to feeling "Christmasy".
For little boys who are still short enough for me to pat their heads as they run by.
For a husband who listens and pays attention to my work and says things like "Can you block it out to make it work?" when I'm panicking about having enough yarn.
For our new roof and insulation. Our house has been so much warmer and it is wonderful.
For my washing machine. I have happily lived without a dishwasher for nearly 6 years, but I think I would go crazy without a washing machine. Especially with three little boys.
For my littlest man who has a train in his hand all day long.
For the wee one that is coming in March and wiggles constantly.
For tea and hot chocolate.
For the lovely people who visit this blog and comment. You have become a part of my family in my heart.
For the holiday that is coming and the excitement and joy I will see on my children's faces come Christmas morning.

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend,
Meg

2011 Resolutions Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:54:00 +0000

It's that time of year again! Time to go through my resolutions I set at the beginning of the year and see how I did. I usually try to do this earlier in the year just so I have time to do some if I haven't finished them yet, but I've been so busy I didn't even think about my list until last week. Let's see how I did....

--------------------

1. ~~Pay off the car loan~~. We paid off 3 loans this year, including Ben's truck and another really big one! By putting our heads down and really getting serious we were able to put our money to good work. Our goal is to get the car paid off sometime this year and have no debt left but our house ( which we're also hoping to pay off in about 10 years or so).

Scratch that - our roof started leaking during this last big storm (and since I made this list) and changed our plans. This year means hopefully getting a new roof before next rainy season. This is a little more important than paying off the car, so wish us luck!

Well... We did both! We did decided to hit the car first since it would remove the payment and we could use that chunk toward saving for the roof. The car was paid off in June and we just paid cash for our spankin' new roof! Woohoo!

2. Knit 10 miles. Oooooh. I only did 5 this year. Think I can do it? Might be a lot of shawls!

Well, I still have a few projects to finish up, but I don't think I'm going to make it to 10.

3. Be a better blogger. Oy, this one winds up on the list a lot. But I've tried hard in the last few weeks to blog every day, or at least every other day. Hopefully no more week long pauses. And better pictures. Which will be easier with my new fancy DSLR! But I'll cut myself some slack on this one since my family comes first, of course and there's no telling what will happen with small ones.

I think I've actually done pretty good with this one this year. Up until just recently, at least. And the reasons for dropping off in the last few weeks pertain to #4.

4. Open a knitting business. That's already sort of started with the zombies. But my hope is to open an Etsy shop and get the word out. Hopefully I can sell more than just zombies, too. Hehe.

Done and done! I got all the paperwork to become official at the beginning of the year and launched my shop in January. It trickled a bit until this holiday season hit, but I've been going like crazy since November and am booked with custom orders until mid-January at this point. THANK YOU to everyone - family, in town friends, my wonderful blog friends, and those of you who have been my customers over the past year. It has meant so much to me and I am very much looking forward to what next year brings!

5. Start and keep at a 365 Project. This means taking and posting a picture every. single. day in 2011. Doesn't have to be a theme, or anything fancy. Just a picture, everyday. With the purpose to use it as practice at taking better pictures. This should also help with #3.

Ok well that didn't happen. I gave up after a month just because it was so monotonous and boring and I hated it. And what's the point in doing something you hate if there's not a whole lot of good to come of it? But it's alright. I'm not really upset about this one.

6. Start my own website and move the blog. There are things I would like to do (like offer patterns for free and sale and incorporate #4), and expand the design of the blog. Hopefully income from #4 will allow me to do that.

This was done half way. I did purchase a domain name at first for the blog, and then one recently that points to my Etsy shop (www.bitofknittery.com). I wound up going through Raverly (praise Ravelry and their easy access) to sell and offer patterns and I love it. It takes most of the hassle out of it. So for now, I won't worry about creating a completely separate, self hosted website/storefront until I feel there is a greater need.
------------------------------------

Welp, that's it! Except for a few mishaps and changes (like #5) I pretty much accomplished all I/we wanted to do this year. Yay!

Now I can get started on next years list! I am excited for the plans I have in the coming year.

Did you set resolutions this year? How have you done?

Happy Wednesday!
Meg

The Big Huge Giant Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:14:00 +0000

Spring, 2010

It's time to reveal The Big Huge Giant Thing!

Are you excited?

Can you guess what it is??

Above is a picture of our little house in early 2010. The end of that year and the beginning of this one were very, very wet. We had so many leaks and even a scary spot where the water was coming through the fan in our bedroom.

You can see that the roof is just made of wood shakes, and it was the original one placed on the house 25 years ago. The poor thing was so full of holes that any time Ben went into the attic, you could see daylight so easily through most of it.

At the beginning of the year one of our goals was the pay off the car. And then the roof started leaking and we thought we would try for a new roof instead. Well, in the end we figured we might as well keep with paying off the car so we could have that payment freed up and we would shoot for a new roof hopefully next year.

And then we paid off the car in June (yay! debt free but our house payment!). And the overtime that Ben has been working since March hasn't stopped... It's barely even slowed down.

So, we kept our budget fairly tight and put our heads down and in three months we had enough to purchase a new roof, with cash!

In November we started shopping around, found the company to go with, and last Wednesday they started ripping down our old, dilapidated roof.

The tear down crew was here at 7 and was done in 3 hours. By noon the roofers had shown up and started putting plywood sheets down.

Friday we had them blow in some extra insulation and it has kept the house so much warmer.

By Saturday they were over half way done with the papering and shingles. By last night (Monday) they had all but a teeny bit finished before they ran out of light.

And today, just about an hour ago, they finished and cleaned up!

We are so, so, SO excited to have a new roof. And I'm not sure which is more exciting - that we have a new roof, or that we paid for it with cash. No loans needed. It's such a nice, adult feeling.

It started raining yesterday afternoon and even though I knew they weren't done yet (poor guys worked through the rain), it was still nice to know that there was enough up there to keep us dry and we didn't have to worry about leaks.

And now that they're done completely - LET IT POUR!! :D

~Meg

Hello, Monday!

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:35:00 +0000

Today is the start of a new week and I am bound and determined to make this week better than last week. While we had a wonderful break in the middle for the concert, it was not a great week. I don't want to move my butt from this house until Sunday.

My cold, thankfully, turned out to be just a head cold and while I'm still feeling the effects of it I'm very glad that it didn't knock me out as much as a full cold would have. It did make for a Super Grumpy Meg on Saturday though, compounded by Super Grumpy Kids Who Needed Naps, so I apologize to my sister for possibly crapping on her Wedding Dress Try On event and lunch. (I would like to mention how weird it is seeing my baby sister try on wedding dresses.)

Now! On to better stuff! :D

Today I decided to just get on it and clean my house really well. It's been awhile since it's had a deep clean and I've been feeling kind of crazy because of it. As of typing this, the bathrooms are clean, trashes are emptied, floors are vaccuumed and the laundry is half finished. Things are tidied and put away. I am even diving into the stash closet to reorganize yarns and supplies to get ready for end of year inventory. I just need to clean out the fridge and finish the laundry.

And to top it all off, we're supposed to get rain today and/or tomorrow! Woohoo!

I have two loaves of bread rising, and a batch of cinnamon rolls doing the same. And if I'm feeling really frisky later I might make cookies! Or brownies. Or blondies... I'm having a dreadful sweet tooth, can you tell? ;)

I have been working on this:

A baby blanket for Ben's co-worker that I started Thursday. It's Intarsia. Intarsia knitting involves separate blocks of color which is accomplished by using separate bits of yarn (even if you're only using two or three colors). In my case, that means 7 different bits of yarn, all dangly and tangly on the back side.

Oy.

I've never done Intarsia before, but after a fiddly, frustrating and possibly expletive-filled start and restart... All is going well! It's still fiddly, but I think I've got the hang of it.

I like that this particular order is forcing me to try something new and not letting me give up. Hoorah! And I'm on schedule - Double Hoorah!

I have a BIG HUGE GIANT thing to show y'all, and it's super exciting (well, for us it is) and it's almost done! I'll tell you all about it as soon as it's ready.

Happy Monday!
Meg

Fangirl

noreply@blogger.com (Meg) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:19:00 +0000

I would like to share some pictures with you. (They're phone pictures, so please excuse the lack of quality.)

Do you notice anything.... special about this picture?

When we bought the tickets for this show it was during the pre-sale in June. They went on sale at 10 am so I sat and clicked refresh on the website starting around 9:50.

When I ordered them I didn't pay attention very well and it said "Row 2" so I was happy and excited that we got such good seats.

Well, last night we were trying to figure out where our actual seat numbers would put us (I like being on the aisle if possible) so we looked up the seating chart and double checked our tickets.

Turns out, I was a bit off. We weren't in Row 2.

We were in the ORCHESTRA PIT Row 2!!! We were about 10 feet from Joe the entire night. It. Was. AMAZING!! We were close enough to see the veins bulging in his hands and the sweat dripping off his face. Ben really likes to watch a guitarists fingers and we were totally close enough to do that.

And now this blanket

Is a little more awesome because it got knit on while we were waiting.

It was a wonderful night of crazy good seats, great music, and so much clapping my arms are sore.

And then I got a milkshake on the way home.

Perfect. :D

Happy Friday!
Meg